Book I: The Wolf and the Dog
A prowling wolf, whose shaggy skin(So strict the watch of dogs had been)Hid little but his bones,Once met a mastiff dog astray.A prouder, fatter, sleeker Tray,No human mortal owns.Sir Wolf in famish'd plight,Would fain have made a rationUpon his fat relation;But then he first must fight;And well the dog seem'd ableTo save from wolfish tableHis carcass snug and tight.So, then, in civil conversationThe wolf express'd his admirationOf Tray's fine case. Said Tray, politely,'Yourself, good sir, may be as sightly;Quit but the woods, advised by me.For all your fellows here, I see,Are shabby wretches, lean and gaunt,Belike to die of haggard want.With such a pack, of course it follows,One fights for every bit he swallows.Come, then, with me, and shareOn equal terms our princely fare.''But what with youHas one to do?'Inquires the wolf. 'Light work indeed,'Replies the dog; 'you only needTo bark a little now and then,To chase off duns and beggar men,To fawn on friends that come or go forth,Your master please, and so forth;For which you have to eatAll sorts of well-cook'd meat--Cold pullets, pigeons, savoury messes--Besides unnumber'd fond caresses.'The wolf, by force of appetite,Accepts the terms outright,Tears glistening in his eyes.But faring on, he spiesA gall'd spot on the mastiff's neck.'What's that?' he cries. 'O, nothing but a speck.''A speck?' 'Ay, ay; 'tis not enough to pain me;Perhaps the collar's mark by which they chain me.''Chain! chain you! What! run you not, then,Just where you please, and when?''Not always, sir; but what of that?''Enough for me, to spoil your fat!It ought to be a precious priceWhich could to servile chains entice;For me, I'll shun them while I've wit.'So ran Sir Wolf, and runneth yet.
Words in this poem 16
- prowling a.
- Accustomed to prowl, or engaged in roving stealthily, as for prey.
- plight v. t.
- To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait. [OE. pliten; probably through Old French, fr. LL. plectare, L. plectere. See Plait, Ply.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- ration n.
- A fixed daily allowance of provisions assigned to a soldier in the army, or a sailor in the navy, for his subsistence. [F., fr. L. ratio a reckoning, calculation, relation, reference, LL. ratio ration. See Ratio.]
- wolfish a.
- Like a wolf; having the qualities or form of a wolf; as, a wolfish visage; wolfish designs.
- carcass n.
- A dead body, whether of man or beast; a corpse; now commonly the dead body of a beast. [F. carcasse, fr. It. carcassa, fr. L. caro flesh + capsa chest, box, case. Cf. Carnal, Case a sheath.]
- admiration n.
- Wonder; astonishment. [F., fr. L. admiratio. See Admire.]
- politely adv.
- In a polished manner; so as to be smooth or glossy.
- sightly a.
- Pleasing to the sight; comely.
- shabby a.
- Torn or worn to rage; poor; mean; ragged. [See Shab, n., Scabby, and Scab.]
- gaunt a.
- Attenuated, as with fasting or suffering; lean; meager; pinched and grim. [Cf. Norw. gand a thin pointed stick, a tall and thin man, and W. gwan weak.]
- belike adv.
- It is likely or probably; perhaps. -- Be*like"ly, adv. [Pref. be- (for by) + like.]
- haggard a.
- Wild or intractable; disposed to break away from duty; untamed; as, a haggard or refractory hawk. Shak [F. hagard; of German origin, and prop. meaning, of the hegde or woods, wild, untamed. See Hedge, 1st Haw, and -ard.]
- savoury n.
- An aromatic labiate plant (Satireia hortensis), much used in cooking; -- also called summer savory. [F. savorée; cf. It. santoreggia, satureja, L. satureia,]
- outright adv.
- Immediately; without delay; at once; as, he was killed outright.
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book I: The Wolf and the Dog is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Fables of La Fontaine, Project Gutenberg ebook #7241, the Elizur Wright translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jean de La Fontaine, Book I: The Wolf and the Dog, in The Fables of La Fontaine (1841), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7241, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/la-fontaine-fables/1-5.html, id L28215.
Form and metre
Book I: The Wolf and the Dog is 53 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 64% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABCCBD--DEEDFFGGHH--IIJJKKLLMM--NNOOPPOOQQ--RRSSTT-- skinA · beenA · bonesB · astrayC · trayC · ownsB · plightD · ration · relation · fightD · ableE · tableE · tightD · conversationF · admirationF · politelyG · sightlyG · meH · seeH · gaunt · want · followsI · swallowsI · shareJ · fareJ · youK · doK · indeedL · needL · thenM · menM · forth · forth · eatN · meatN · messesO · caressesO · appetiteP · outrightP · eyesO · spiesO · neckQ · speckQ · me · me · thenR · whenR · thatS · fatS · priceT · enticeT · wit · yet
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| A prowling wolf, whose shaggy skin | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| (So strict the watch of dogs had been) | 8 | ········ |
| Hid little but his bones, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Once met a mastiff dog astray. | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| A prouder, fatter, sleeker Tray, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| No human mortal owns. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Sir Wolf in famish'd plight, | 6 | ······ |
| Would fain have made a ration | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Upon his fat relation; | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| But then he first must fight; | 6 | ······ |
| And well the dog seem'd able | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| To save from wolfish table | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| His carcass snug and tight. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| So, then, in civil conversation | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| The wolf express'd his admiration | 9 | ··˘/··˘/˘ |
| Of Tray's fine case. Said Tray, politely, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| 'Yourself, good sir, may be as sightly; | 9 | ˘/·····/˘ |
| Quit but the woods, advised by me. | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| For all your fellows here, I see, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Are shabby wretches, lean and gaunt, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Belike to die of haggard want. | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| With such a pack, of course it follows, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| One fights for every bit he swallows. | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| Come, then, with me, and share | 6 | ······ |
| On equal terms our princely fare.' | 8 | ·/˘·//˘· |
| 'But what with you | 4 | ···· |
| Has one to do?' | 4 | ···· |
| Inquires the wolf. 'Light work indeed,' | 8 | ˘/····˘/ |
| Replies the dog; 'you only need | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| To bark a little now and then, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| To chase off duns and beggar men, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To fawn on friends that come or go forth, | 9 | ········· |
| Your master please, and so forth; | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| For which you have to eat | 6 | ······ |
| All sorts of well-cook'd meat-- | 6 | ······ |
| Cold pullets, pigeons, savoury messes-- | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| Besides unnumber'd fond caresses.' | 9 | ˘/····˘/˘ |
| The wolf, by force of appetite, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Accepts the terms outright, | 6 | ˘/··// |
| Tears glistening in his eyes. | 7 | ·/˘˘··· |
| But faring on, he spies | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| A gall'd spot on the mastiff's neck. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| 'What's that?' he cries. 'O, nothing but a speck.' | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| 'A speck?' 'Ay, ay; 'tis not enough to pain me; | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| Perhaps the collar's mark by which they chain me.' | 11 | ˘/·/˘······ |
| 'Chain! chain you! What! run you not, then, | 8 | ········ |
| Just where you please, and when?' | 6 | ······ |
| 'Not always, sir; but what of that?' | 8 | ·/······ |
| 'Enough for me, to spoil your fat! | 8 | ˘/······ |
| It ought to be a precious price | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Which could to servile chains entice; | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| For me, I'll shun them while I've wit.' | 8 | ········ |
| So ran Sir Wolf, and runneth yet. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.